How to service your car

sebastianlieken · 07-01-2014 9:59am

sebastianlieken wrote: »

okie doki, so i assume that if i remove the relay, the fuel pump wont activate, meaning the engine will fire up from whatever pressurised fuel is still in the lines and then cut out almost immediatly?

that should be grand, i'll make sure I put a towel over it aswell when I disconnect it just incase.

I hope there isn't too much risk of damaging the fuel lines when disconnecting the old one? Are they a pain in the ass to detatch?

Did the fuel filter change by the way - way easier than people make it out to be.

Tried depressurising but wasn't able; I removed the fuel pump relay but the car wouldn't start. So I put it back in, started the car, and then removed the relay and waited for the engine to die - nope, that didn't happen either.

I just didn't bother depressurising. Just put the back left wheel on a high curb, handbrake on, in 1st gear, chocked the front wheels. Dawned a stylish set of safety specs, and a rag to cover the lines; I Popped under the car removed the three hoses (they came off exactly as they should - great design). removed one retainer screw, pulled the filter out. replace and reattach. simples.

I then drained the old one and took a hacksaw to it to see inside - it looked grand to be honest, but then again it would be difficult to discern with a petrol filter (as opposed to diesel I think). The mechanism of the fuel filter was such that if the filter inside was blocked, that the fluid flow would be bypassed around the fileter and straight to the output towards the engine. Therefore IMO it was a good little preventative measure to make sure the petrol is being filtered and not bypassed around the filter where little particals can potentially block the injectors.

kerry4sam · 01-02-2014 3:34pm

This is one bloody brilliant thread

When I open my bonnet and look under, it just amazes me when I see everything inter-linked and connected and working off each other like they are. Just amazes me! (I could be easily amazed

).

If you're involved in vehicle mechanics in any way, you lucky sod! It must be a joy if you are gifted enough for it.

Anywhoo,
Thanks for starting this thread,
kerry4sam

mustang01 · 02-02-2014 12:42pm

kerry4sam wrote: »

This is one bloody brilliant thread

When I open my bonnet and look under, it just amazes me when I see everything inter-linked and connected and working off each other like they are. Just amazes me! (I could be easily amazed ).

If you're involved in vehicle mechanics in any way, you lucky sod! It must be a joy if you are gifted enough for it.

Anywhoo,
Thanks for starting this thread,
kerry4sam

oh it all looks well until something goes wrong , then believe me it can be torture and most fustrating to pinpoint a problem when so many things are interconnected and in the same circuit you can be dealing with mechanical, vacume, electrical and hydraulic all at the same time , believe me ur the lucky one just admiring it

sebastianlieken · 12-02-2014 4:13pm

In terms of servicing your car, I'm interested to find out what my cars sensors have to say. It would be great to be able to conduct a VAGCOM interogation on my Golf but it can be prohibitivley expensive and i'd rather have a snoop around myself rather than a VW mechanic giving me a report of any faults.

I ordered an OBDII / Bluetooth device from Amazon and got an app called Torque for my Android smart phone.

It gives you the ability to look at any codes that are currently present and any historical codes, and the ability to clear codes.

It can also give you a whole host of sensor data and formulated data based on sensors in your car.

Mass Air Flow
Air intake Temp
Coolant Temp
Oil Temp
Fuel Flow rate
BHP figure
MPG
Throttle position
Co2

etc.... etc... many many more...

The device should arrive within the next few days, i'll post again when I have it a bit more sussed out.

The main reason I want this is to view Fault Codes. If it does what it claims to be able to do then this would be a great little addition to your DIY toolbox!

sebastianlieken · 19-02-2014 3:56pm

I'm not going to do a big review... i'm just waiting for a 300mb excel file to open...

This Bluetooth OBD dongle with the android Torque app is awesome!

just look on google for the sorts of info this little system can tell you about your car:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=torque+app&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=ycQEU5vsOvP07AbKq4CwCg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1613&bih=893

There are REAMS of dials and gauges available to put on your customisable screen, obviously your car wont have all of the sensors but the app will know which ones you do have and highlight them in the list for you.

I leave the bluetooth OBD dongle pluged in, and I have an old phone on a screen suction cradle giving me a continuous live readout.

You can do a diagnostic scan too (which seems to work) - I ran it and got no faults, I then unpluged some sensor on the air intake and a fault was thrown up.

altogether, It's a great little car gadget!

this is what you need: (I have the one at the top of the list)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bluetooth%20obd

corks finest · 24-02-2014 6:51pm

Volvoboy wrote: »

Next Air filter:

Very simple locte the filter housing usually held with clips pop them up take out the old filter and do the opposite.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00366.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00367.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00368.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00369.jpg

Spark Plugs: (I didnt actully change them in the last service i replaced them with 50,000 mile platinum tip plugs)

But heres what to do;

On the top of your engine there are four rubbers with leads called HT Leads, pull them off by the top of the rubber (do not pull it from the leads as you'll damage it by doing so) Unscrew the plugs and screw in new ones. (be carefull to pull the leads out one by one, if you take all the leads out at the same time when you put them back in you could put them back in the wrong firing order)
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00377.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00378.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00379.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00380.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00381.jpg
General

Its always advisable to check all fluild, brakes and tyres.
Have a few thousand on them.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00373.jpg
Brake fluid.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00372.jpg
Water bottle dry.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00374.jpg

The format is the same for most cars, i know it looks like alot but its taken me longer to post this than it did to service the car:)

Spent €37.97 on parts, got the hands dirty for a hour and saved about €230.

Now you've no excuse not to do it.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/volvoboy744/DSC00371.jpg

Job Done

Volvoboy

Thanks,good sensible advice,I'm lucky as my oil filter is on top,in engine bay,skoda fabia 08;so I can use a sealey vac pump to empt sump,no jacking up,yet

Greyfoot · 24-02-2014 8:05pm

kerry4sam wrote: »

It must be a joy..

when the spanner slips and your knuckles hit the wishbone :pac::P

dotsflan · 26-02-2014 10:15am

Well guys, Im gonna try save a few quid and try my first basic service on my Mazda 3 1.6 petrol in the next few weeks. The oil and air filter change seem fairly straight forward but to change the spark plugs seems to be a bit awkward.

The spark plugs seem to be located under the Air filter compartment which doesn't seem to come away too easily, does anybody have any experience of these that they could advise me how to go about getting at the spark plugs easily?

sebastianlieken · 14-04-2014 11:43am

Replaced the sparks on my 08 Golf 1.6FSI the other day.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but looking at the picture below, the spark plug doesn't actually look overly worn, although it is difficult to tell on a multi-earthed plug. The insulator has a healthy tan which tells me the fuel ratio is pretty good, although the insulator itself has been worn down a bit as can be seen by the arc striations

It might just be in my head, but the engine feels a heck of a lot healthier. Smoother power delivery, more stable idle, ... it actually feels more powerful... Hopefully the MPG figures follow suit! *fingers crossed*

Old spark:

Esel · 15-04-2014 10:56pm

Do the gaps not look pretty massive on that plug?

How did it compare to a new plug?

Joya · 28-07-2014 1:20pm

well hi everyone, i am not sure if I managed to find a right thread to post my question but i am hoping this is the one

so i bought online and just received the unpainted (coated with primer only) left wing mirror for ford fiesta 00

just thought to ask would it be too hard to paint it myself (silver metalic) and also fit it myself? it is an electric one.

does anyone know if I would need to take off the inner door panel in order to do this, or just the top triangular part from the inside,
cause if the first has to be done i presume it would not be an easy task, thanks a lot

Ded_Zebra · 28-07-2014 5:59pm

Not too familiar with fiestas but by the sounds of things only that top triangle on the door would need to be taken off. Even if the whole door card needed to be taken off you could easily do it if you have a basic screwdriver set:). The only thing you need to do is take your time and find all the screws before popping off the plastic clips. Fitting the mirror should be ease too but I would leave the painting to someone else if you care a lot about how the car looks. Though it is easy enough to get a fairly nice finish it's very hard to blend the colour.

Hope that helps you

Joya · 28-07-2014 6:14pm

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

Not too familiar with fiestas but by the sounds of things only that top triangle on the door would need to be taken off. Even if the whole door card needed to be taken off you could easily do it if you have a basic screwdriver set:). The only thing you need to do is take your time and find all the screws before popping off the plastic clips. Fitting the mirror should be ease too but I would leave the painting to someone else if you care a lot about how the car looks. Though it is easy enough to get a fairly nice finish it's very hard to blend the colour.

Hope that helps you

thanks for the tips, yes I have to say i do not care much about looks even if I would paint it in black or pink

But I would be more concerned about the quality of paint finish that would protect it from weather, if i do it for example at home, just over some newspapers with a brush and let it dry for day or two.

and yes i hope it is just the top triangle part t be screwed off, because some years ago i tried to take off the door of my right panel because of the lock system, but after few hours (lol) i had to give up and went to garage instead

btw unfortunately as i tried to find online some videos on changing mirror wing for exactly Ford fiesta (1999-2001) nothing came up.. that is why i asked here hoping for som answers so that I decide what to do. I really hope id be able to do it myself

cletus · 28-07-2014 6:57pm

Manual wing mirror replacement on that fiesta is easy, just remove the triangle piece. With an electronic mirror, it all depends on where the plug is located, for example in a corolla, the bolt for the mirror are behind a similar triangle piece, but the connector plug is behind the door card. Take off the triangle and see can you see the connector plug.

Here is avideo for taking off the door card, pretty easy actually. http://youtu.be/1URT13Yusjg

Re. painting, for a good finish you would need to use spray cans rather than a paint brush. You will probably also need to prime it first, and for protection you will need a clear coat. Loads of videos on youtube showing how to

Best of luck with it

joeKel73 · 25-09-2014 9:17am

My first car is due it's first service since I got it in April. Got quoted €320 for 180k kilometer service on my Ford Focus from the local Ford Dealership so going to have a go at servicing it myself.

Thinking of getting the correct oil and air/fuel/oil filters at the dealership's parts department... will they be able to pull up everything I need from the car reg? Or should I have part numbers ready? I was looking on the likes of Micks Garage and there seems to be a fair range of part options for each. It's a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6L TDCI.

jimmyw · 25-09-2014 7:50pm

J o e wrote: »

My first car is due it's first service since I got it in April. Got quoted €320 for 180k kilometer service on my Ford Focus from the local Ford Dealership so going to have a go at servicing it myself.

Thinking of getting the correct oil and air/fuel/oil filters at the dealership's parts department... will they be able to pull up everything I need from the car reg? Or should I have part numbers ready? I was looking on the likes of Micks Garage and there seems to be a fair range of part options for each. It's a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6L TDCI.

You don't always need to go to the dealer to get basic servicing parts.Most auto factors should have most of what you need.Its their job to have the part numbers, not you

kerryguy78 · 22-01-2016 9:40pm

Quick question, I was told at a main dealers that the parking sensors on my PASSAT cc were not genuine and they wouldn't fix them. They said they were put in by a side of the road guy!!!! How can I check if this is the case?

biko · 23-01-2016 4:02pm

That's not a "service a car" question, but start with checking what trim level your car is and see if sensors are included. Your dealer is probably not lying.
Do the sensors look stock?

allthedoyles · 28-05-2016 10:08pm

Can someone tell me where to by a badge for a Dodge Calliber ?

MAJJ · 30-05-2016 9:26pm

allthedoyles wrote: »

Can someone tell me where to by a badge for a Dodge Calliber ?

Have you tried eBay?

kleefarr · 26-09-2016 12:42pm

When changing a clutch is the flywheel usually changed at the same time?
Peugeot 307 SW 04 had a clutch change in July and now has vibration issues, they say it' the flywheel and it needs replacing.
I saw kits where a new flywheel was included with the clutch kit.

shietpilot · 26-09-2016 1:16pm

kleefarr wrote: »

When changing a clutch is the flywheel usually changed at the same time?
Peugeot 307 SW 04 had a clutch change in July and now has vibration issues, they say it' the flywheel and it needs replacing.
I saw kits where a new flywheel was included with the clutch kit.

It's not necessary but if it's a diesel with a dual mass flywheel, a good mechanic would recommend it to be changed together with the clutch since the labour is almost the same and it would only cost you extra for the part itself.

fancy pigeon · 26-09-2016 1:22pm

shietpilot wrote: »

It's not necessary but if it's a diesel with a dual mass flywheel, a good mechanic would recommend it to be changed together with the clutch since the labour is almost the same and it would only cost you extra for the part itself.

Considering if it is a 2.0HDi 110 clutch looks like below, a flywheel is it's only damper and thus will need replacing if juddering

A 90HDi takes a conventional clutch and solid wheel

$_1.JPG

I await some nit picking pc tit to pic flaws with my post

kleefarr · 26-09-2016 2:20pm

fancy pigeon wrote: »

Considering if it is a 2.0HDi 110 clutch looks like below, a flywheel is it's only damper and thus will need replacing if juddering

A 90HDi takes a conventional clutch and solid wheel

I await some nit picking pc tit to pic flaws with my post

1.6l Petrol

Hal1 · 26-09-2016 5:38pm

Sure get it machined and save some weight yo! Wouldn't that give more power to the wheels?

kleefarr · 28-09-2016 12:13pm

kleefarr wrote: »

1.6l Petrol

Apparently thrust bearing gone.

More expense.

Hal1 · 28-09-2016 5:40pm

So the cowboy who changed the clutch in July never replaced the release bearing. Unless he made a complete haims of the job, I can't see how it would fail within the last 3 months.

shietpilot · 28-09-2016 7:13pm

Hal1 wrote: »

So the cowboy who changed the clutch in July never replaced the release bearing. Unless he made a complete haims of the job, I can't see how it would fail within the last 3 months.

That's ridiculous like! I reckon some mechanics are similar to tyre shops. Customers look for the cheapest garage and the mechanics end up skipping vital parts of the job in order to provide the most attractive quote! Preventative maintenance and all that...

kleefarr · 28-09-2016 8:38pm

Hal1 wrote: »

So the cowboy who changed the clutch in July never replaced the release bearing. Unless he made a complete haims of the job, I can't see how it would fail within the last 3 months.

Looks like it. Not going to use him again even though clutch was cheap enough €650 plus an extra €100 for new thruster bearing.

dunneg · 18-10-2016 12:42pm

Great post. Very informative.

I might give it a go myself. As they say, God loves a trier!

How to service your car

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